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.N48  What  you  should  know    \&\**-   lv.A*A    3-i*>\*A.    r^     H-^^^^A  * 

RECAP 

WHAT  YOU  SHOULD 
KNOW  ABOUT 


TUBERCULOSIS 


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PHYSICIANS  AND  SURGEONS 

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WHAT   YOU    SHOULD 
KNOW  ABOUT 

TUBERCULOSIS 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD 
KNOW    ABOUT 

TUBERCULOSIS 


PREPARED   BY 

THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    HEALTH    AND   THE 

COMMITTEE    ON    THE    PREVENTION    OF 

TUBERCULOSIS     OF    THE    CHARITY 

ORGANIZATION    SOCIETY 

New  York   City 
1910 


Copyright,  1910,  by 
Frank  H.  Mann. 


PURPOSE 

This  little  book  is  prepared  by  the 
Department  of  Health  and  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Prevention  of  Tubercu- 
losis of  the  Charity  Organization  Society 
for  use  in  the  8A  and  8B  Grades  of 
the  Elementary  Schools  and  in  the  High 
Schools  under  the  Department  of  Edu- 
cation of  New  York  City. 

It  is  intended  to  teach  in  simple 
language  the  principal  facts  about  tuber- 
culosis. Most  of  the  illustrations  are 
made  from  a  special  exhibit  prepared  by 
the  Committee  for  use  in  the  public 
schools  and  other  places  where  a  large 
number  of  persons  can  see  it. 


Printed  By 

The  J.  W.  Pratt  Company 

New  York 


TUBERCULOSIS 

WHY  YOU  SHOULD  BE  INTERESTED 

There  are  many  reasons  why  you 
should  be  interested  in  the  subject  of 
tuberculosis.  You  or  some  of  your  fam- 
ily or  friends  may  at  some  time  develop 
the  disease.  By  knowing  something 
about  it  you  can  greatly  lessen  the  chance 
of  getting  it.  If  you  do  get  it,  you  will 
know  what  to  do  in  order  to  get  well, 
and  to  keep  others  from  getting  it  from 
you. 

WHAT  TUBERCULOSIS  IS 

Pulmonary  tuberculosis  is  a  very 
common,  and  frequently  a  fatal  disease 
of  the  lungs. 


6  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 

It  is  caused  by  the  growth  and  mul- 
tiplication in  the  lungs  of  a  very  small 
germ,  called  the  tuber- 
cle bacillus,  which  is 
so  small  it  cannot  be 
seen  without  the  use 
of  a  very  powerful 
microscope,  which 
magnifies    it    several  tuberculosis  germs  magni- 

,  ,         ,  fied  Many  Times.     The 

hundred  times.  rods  are  the  germs. 

Twenty-five  hundred  of  these  germs 
placed  end  to  end  would  not  be  one 
inch  in  length. 

These  germs  may  gradually  spread 
through  the  greater  part  of  one  or  both 
lungs,  destroying  the  usefulness  of  those 
organs  until  finally  the  patient  dies  of  the 
disease. 

The  disease  is  often  called  consump- 
tion, for  the  reason  that  during  its  prog- 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS  1 

ress    the   patient    loses    weight    rapidly, 
and  hence  seems  to  be  consumed. 

Tuberculosis  may  infect  any  other 
part  of  the  body  besides  the  lungs,  such 
as  the  bones,  joints,  intestines,  glands, 
brain,  spinal  cord,  and  the  skin,  but  of 
all  forms  of  inflammation,  that  of  the 
lungs  is  most  common. 

The  tubercle  bacillus  is  the  only 
cause  of  the  disease. 


Children  Chiefly    Have  Tuberculosis  of  the 
Bones  and  Joints. 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


Many  people  think  that  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  comes  from  a  cold  or  some 
other  disease,  or  is  inherited.  This  is 
not  correct. 

The  reason  why  people  develop 
tuberculosis  after  a  prolonged  cold  or 
pneumonia  or  other  exhausting  disease 
is  because  their  systems  have  run  down 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  are  not  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  tubercle  bacilli  when 
taken  into  their  bodies. 

These  germs  are 
very  widely  distributed, 
and  practically  all  peo- 
ple breathe  them  in  at 
times.  If  their  systems 
are  in  excellent  condi- 
tion, the  germs  do  not 
gain  a  foothold  and 
start  the  disease. 
Any    condition    that 


•. 


The  Fly  Spreads  Tuber- 
culosis and  Other 
Diseases. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


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Map  Showing  Extent  of  Disease.     Each  Pin  Means  One  Case 
for  That  House. 


10 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


Out-Door  Schools  Prevent  Tuberculosis. 

weakens  the    body   predisposes    one    to 
consumption. 

EXTENT  OF  THE  DISEASE 

Tuberculosis  kills  more  people  than 
any  other  disease.  Every  three  minutes 
someone  in  the  United  States  dies  from 
consumption. 

Every  day  during  the  time  you  are 
in  school  one  hundred  persons  are  dying 
from  this  disease.  Every  year  more  per- 
sons die  in  the  United  States  from  con- 
sumption than  died  in  this  country  from 
yellow  fever  in  a  period  of  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  years. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


11 


Three  or  four  times  as  many  people 
die  every  year  in  the  United  States  from 
this  disease  as  were  killed  in  both  armies 
during  the  Civil  War.  Every  seventh 
person  who  dies,  dies  from  tuberculosis. 


SYMPTOMS 


There  are  a  number  of  symptoms 
which  might  lead  a  person  to  suspect 
that  he  has  pulmonary  tuberculosis, 
namely,  loss  of  weight,  loss  of  appetite, 


Raffia  Work  at  an  Open-Air  Class  for 
Tuberculous  Children. 


12  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 

loss  of  color,  fever  in  the  afternoon, 
cough  and  expectoration  (spitting)  last- 
ing for  several  weeks,  spitting  of  blood 
or  streaks  of  blood  in  the  sputum,  chills, 
night  sweats,  difficulty  in  breathing,  and 
pains  in  the  chest. 

In  incipient  tuberculosis  the  com- 
monest symptoms  are  loss  of  weight 
with  cough  and  expectoration. 

When  these  symptoms  occur  it  does 
not  necessarily  mean  that  tuberculosis 
exists,  but  it  would  be  wise  for  a  person 
having  them  to  consult  a  physician. 

HOW  WE  GET  TUBERCULOSIS 

We  can  get  tuberculosis  only  by  re- 
ceiving into  the  body  the  little  germs 
known  as  the  tubercle  bacilli. 

The  consumptive  infects  another,  or 
gives  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  to  another, 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


13 


SHALL  WE  ALLOW  THIS  TREE  TO  STAND, 
OR  SHALL  WE  DESTROY  1T.R00T  AND  BRANCH 


14 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


by  means  of  the  tubercle  bacilli  in  the 
material  coughed  up  from  the  diseased 
lungs,  which  often  contains  millions  of 
these  germs. 


Scrubbing  the  Walls  to  Get  Rid  of  Germs. 

The  germs  get  out  of  the  body  of  a 
person  who  has  tuberculosis,  not  only  in 
the  material  which  is  coughed  up,  but 
also  in  the  little  drops,  too  small  to  be 
seen,  which  are  sprayed  out  when  persons 
with  tuberculosis  cough  or  sneeze. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS  IB 

Great  care  should  be  taken  to  de- 
stroy all  material  coughed  up  by  the 
consumptive,  and  to  avoid  careless 
coughing  and  sneezing.  If  this  is  not 
done,  and  if  the  sputum  is  discharged  on 
the  floor  or  carpets  or  clothing  the  germs 
may  live  for  months,  especially  in  dark, 
damp,  unventilated  bedrooms,  living 
rooms,  and  work-rooms. 

The  germs  will  live  in  the  darkness 
and  dampness  for  a  long  time,  and  are 
stirred  up  in  dusting  and  sweeping  these 
rooms,  and  float  in  the  air  and  may  be 
breathed  into  the  lungs,  or  may  fall  upon 
articles  of  food  and  be  taken  into  the 
body  in  that  way. 

It  is  not  safe  to  move  into  a  house 
or  rooms  in  which  a  patient  with  tuber- 
culosis has  lived  until  such  house  or 
rooms  have  been  thoroughly  cleansed 
and  disinfected  or  renovated. 


16 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


The  kind  of  people  most  likely  to 
get  tuberculosis  are  those  who  are  run 
down  or  ill  from  poor  or  insufficient 
food,  from  living  in  dark,  overcrowded 
or  ill-ventilated  rooms,  or  from  overwork, 
or  during  convalescence  from  other  ex- 
hausting diseases.  Their  weakened  sys- 
tems cannot  resist  the  disease. 


Taking  the  Cure  at  Home.     On  the  Roof  in  Summer. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


17 


Working  or  Jiving  in  dusty  rooms 
may  lead  to  the  disease, 
especially  where   the  air 
is  bad  from  poor 
ventilation  or 
overcrowding. 


On  the  Roof  in  Winter. 


18 


WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


HOW  TO  PREVENT  TUBERCULOSIS 

In  order  to  keep  from  getting  tuber- 
culosis, the  first  and  most  important  rule 
is   to    keep    as    strong   and    healthy    as 

possible. 

When   the 

tubercle  bacilli 
get  into  the 
body  or  lungs 
of  a  healthy 
person  they  do 
not  multiply  but 
are  usually  soon 
killed,  while  in 
the  lungs  of  a 
weak  or  sickly 
person  they  in- 
crease in  num- 
ber and  produce  tuberculosis. 

Of  great  assistance  in  keeping  well 
and  strong  are  quantities  of  fresh,  pure 


Feather  Dusters  Should  Never  Be 
Used;    They    Spread  Disease. 
Use  Moist  Cloths  in  Dust- 
ing and  Sweeping. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


19 


Preparing  to  Rest  at  a  School  in 
the  Open  Air. 


air  both  in  the 
daytime  and  at 
night,  in  the 
home,  in  the 
school  room, 
and  in  the  work- 
room, together 
with  proper  food,  cleanliness,  and  tem- 
perance. 

One  can  get  fresh,  pure  air  by  keep- 
ing out  of  doors  as  much  as  possible,  by 
keeping  the  living  rooms  during  the  day- 
time well  ventilated,  and  by  keeping  the 

windows  of  the 
bedrooms  wide 
open  all  night. 

Dust  may  be 
largely  avoided 
by  cleaning 
with      d  amp 


Resting  Body  and  Mind  at  an  Open- 
Air  School. 


20  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 

cloths  and  brooms  (never  use  a  dry 
broom  or  duster). 

Children  should  be  taught  not  to 
put  anything  in  their  mouths  except 
food. 

Putting  pencils,  coins,  or  playthings 
in  the  mouth,  or  eating  candy  or  chew- 
ing gum  which  other  children  have  had 
in  their  mouths  are  dirty,  dangerous 
habits,  and  should  be  avoided. 

Overindulgence  in  whiskey  or  other 
forms  of  alcohol  predisposes  one  to 
tuberculosis,  and  the  use  of  intoxicants 
of  any  kind  in  tuberculosis  is  distinctly 
injurious. 

Alcohol  weakens  the  body  so  that 
it  cannot  resist  the  disease  germs.  Every 
person  should  take  a  warm  bath  with 
soap  at  least  once  each  week,  and  if 
possible  should  have  a  cold  bath  every 
morning. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS 


21 


HOW    TO  AVOID   COLDS 

One  can  keep  from  catching  cold : 

1.  By    always    having     plenty    of 
fresh  air  both  day  and  night. 

2.  By    taking   a    cold    bath    every 
morning. 


Recreation  Period  at  a  Fresh  Air  School. 

3.  By  avoiding  exposure  to  cold 
and  damp  after  such  diseases  as  measles 
and  whooping  cough. 


22  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 

4.  By  keeping  the  feet  dry  and 
avoiding  exposure  to  cold  and  drafts 
when  very  warm  or  very  tired. 

5.  By  avoiding  all  close  and  over- 
heated rooms  crowded  with  people,  such 
as  moving  picture  shows  and  cheap 
theatres. 

MEDICINES 

There  is  no  medicine  that  will  cure 
consumption.  It  is  a  wraste  of  time  and 
money  to  use  so-called  "Consumption 
Cures." 


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Tents  at  Ray  Brook  Sanatorium  Showing 
Out-Door  Treatment. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS  23 

All  advertised  cures  of  this  nature 
are  frauds.  Doctors  who  advertise 
should  be  avoided  as  much  as  medi- 
cines which  are  advertised.  Reputable 
doctors  do  not  advertise. 

When  a  person  learns  that  he  has 
tuberculosis  he  should  go  at  once  to  a 
physician  or  a  dispensary,  and  do  as  he 
is  advised.  He  should  not  waste  time 
and  money  on  patent  medicines. 

Advertised  cures  and  advertising 
doctors  are  all  worthless. 

TREATMENT 

The  treatment  for  tuberculosis  is 
rest,  with  plenty  of  fresh  air,  and  enough 
good  wholesome  food. 

No  medicine  is  necessary  except  in 
cases  where  other  diseases  are  present. 


24  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 

Tuberculous  patients  should  eat 
three  good  meals  each  day,  and  in  ad- 
dition take  milk  in  the  mid-morning 
and  mid-afternoon.  They  should  get  all 
the  rest  and  sleep  possible,  and  should 
avoid  overwork  and  too  much  exercise. 

If  treatment  is  begun  early,  tuber- 
culosis can  be  cured  by  good  food,  fresh 
air  and  rest.  The  best  results  are  ob- 
tained in  hospitals  which  are  located  in 
the  country,  and  are  called  sanatoria. 

It  is  not  dangerous  to  live  or  work 
with  a  person  who  has  tuberculosis  if  he 
is  cleanly  and  is  very  careful  to  destroy 
all  the  sputum  which  he  coughs  up. 

A  person  with  tuberculosis  should 
not  sleep  in  the  same  bed  with  any  one 
else,  and  if  possible,  not  even  in  the 
same  room. 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS  25 

HOW   YOU   CAN    HELP 

1.  Teachers:  By  instructing  pupils 
as  to  the  nature,  prevention,  and  cure 
of  tuberculosis ;  by  teaching  children 
simple  rules  of  health,  how  to  breathe 
deeply,  etc. ;  by  keeping  the  class  room 
well  ventilated. 

2.  Parents:  By  keeping  the  home 
clean  and  well  ventilated ;  by  teaching 
children  to  sleep  with  windows  open,  to 
eat  proper  and  nourishing  food,  to  ob- 
serve the  laws  of  health. 

3.  Children :  By  keeping  clean ;  by 
putting  nothing  into  the  mouth  except 
food ;  by  staying  as  much  as  possible  in 
the  fresh  air  and  sunshine ;  by  eating 
only  wholesome  and  nourishing  food. 


26  WHAT  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW 


QUESTIONS 

Why  should  everyone  be  interested 
in  tuberculosis  ? 

What  is  tuberculosis  ? 

In  what  part  of  the  body  is  it  most 
commonly  found  ? 

Why  is  it  called  consumption  ? 

How  do  other  diseases  prepare  the 
way  for  tuberculosis  ? 

What   is   said   about   the   extent   of 
this  disease  ? 

What  are  its  symptoms? 

How  do  the  germs  get  out  of  the 
body? 

Why  should  those  who  have  tuber- 
culosis destroy  their  spit  ? 


ABOUT  TUBERCULOSIS  27 

In  what  kind  of  places  does  tuber- 
culosis thrive? 

What  persons  are  most  likely  to  get 
the  disease  ? 

Name    some    ways    of    preventing 
tuberculosis. 

How  should  dusting  and  sweeping 
be  done  ? 

What   is   said   about    the    effect    of 
alcohol  ? 

How  may  one  keep  from  catching 
cold? 

What    is    said    about   patent    medi- 
cines ? 

What    is    the    best    treatment    for 
tuberculosis  ? 


COI 

DUE  DATE 

Th 

expira 

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